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Show Hr ri I ft-sT Ml. Songs of Fast Vanishing Types of People of America to Be Kept. WORK FOR THE WOMEN Community Singing Sweeping the Land Great Musical Educational Asset. a NEW ORLEANS, La., April 12. Preservation of tho folk music of America, the songs of fast vanishing types of people, was urged by Mrs. William D. Steele of Sedalia, Mo., chairman of the music department of tho General Federation of Women's Clubs, at the council meeting of the federation here today. "The songs ot tho Louisiana Creole, the plantation negro of the south, the dance music of the Mexlcon peon on our border, the wild song of the western west-ern cowboy, the plaintive melodies of the mountaineer of Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as tho more familiar tribal songs of the North American Indian, In-dian, should be preserved," said Mrs. Steele. "This is a work for the women's wo-men's clubs as well as the department of education of the Lnited States government." gov-ernment." Mrs. Steele advocated also a more intimate acquaintance with the music of American composers. "The music club is the guardian of the music in its town, and should see that it is taught in every school, as ' an accredited study by the very best! equipped musician in the community,' declared Mrs. Steele. "The music clubi is also the guardian of the town's musical mu-sical morals. The music played in the theatres, picture shows, parks and sometimes, we regret to say, the lype of music used in the Sunday schools! and church service might be improved j "Community singing is sweeping the land. This is the great opportunity) for the women's clubs, for, along wlthj our public school music, it is our great-1 est musical education asset. It will mean the organization and development develop-ment of choral societies and orchestras, orches-tras, the coming into the home of more and better music." |